The use of fiber optics greatly increases the bandwidth for data communications and telecommunications. However, a current limitation in information transmission with fiber optics is in routing optical signals between different fibers. What is needed is a viable all-optical switching technology that can be used with fiber optics. Many different approaches to such a technology based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have been proposed (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,959,375; 6,220,561; 6,283,601; 6,300,665; 6,366,414 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2001/0048265). A primary deficiency of the majority of the MEMS approaches heretofore is that once a micromirror has been positioned at a predetermined angle, that position cannot be maintained without the continued application of electrical power. Furthermore, that position will be lost in the event of an electrical power interruption.
The present invention addresses this deficiency and provides an improvement in the art by providing a microelectromechanical (MEM) tiltable-platform apparatus that is actuated by a plurality of gear-driven racks which can maintain the platform in a tilted position indefinitely in the absence of any applied electrical power, and which can be programmed to provide a tilt angle of generally ±10 degrees in any direction with respect to the plane of a substrate whereon the apparatus is formed.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art.